


what brings everaftering so happy

by reveetoile



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Enchanted (2007) Fusion, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Poison Apples, Romance, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 03:16:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5075704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reveetoile/pseuds/reveetoile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Sorry... He’s called Aiba Masaki, I think. We found him yesterday on our way home from the match. He was on that building with the castle billboard and asked to be let inside because he had to marry some prince... Hotaru said we had to help him. As I thought him mad I wanted to call a cab, but apparently Hotaru likes him. She thinks he’s hilarious and sad and alone... I let him sleep here and wanted to take him home today... But I don't know... I’m starting to believe he is telling the truth. Or what he believes to be the truth... And oh, about the animals. They were in the flat this morning. Aiba let them into help him clean the rooms. Now I have to clean everything again so nobody gets sick," he stopped for a moment and then flinched.</p>
            </blockquote>





	what brings everaftering so happy

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to elareine for proofreading and helping me with this story.

Jun was on his way to kill some ogre that went on a rampage in his kingdom and needed to be killed. He looked around, trying to find the giant.

"You know, Mao? I think it’s about time I meet my beloved one, don't you? I want to marry and to sing a lovely song with her, and she should end my lines and I hers, wouldn't that be wonderful?" he asked his servant girl.

Mao nodded with a sigh. "You are right, sir," she answered, handing him his sword.

"I think I heard one of those monsters," she said, pointing in a direction further into the woods.

Jun nodded, and Mao rolled her eyes as he swept his hair back.

"Then let's go, Mao. We have to kill an ogre."

"Yes, sir!" She smiled brightly following the prince. He started running through the forest, Mao grinning in amusement behind him when he let out a war cry.

 

When they saw the big green monster, he jumped on its back to push his sword into its neck.

"Die, you ugly ogre! You won't ever bring any distress onto the people from fairytale land ever again."

 

It was a lovely day in his little tree house in the middle of the woods. Just like every day. Aiba Masaki sat on his windowsill and looked outside. He sighed deeply as he watched the forest and looked at the chipmunk at his side.

"I wish I would find my prince, Sho-chan," he mumbled putting his head in his hands. Sho was nodding solemnly by the time he was finished.

"A princess would be okay, too. But I want someone who is strong and smart. Someone who can protect me. Princesses can't do that. In any case not as well as princes can," he grinned.

"Probably not..." Sho agreed softly.

"And he will sing with me, won't he? He’ll be my partner in a duet," he gushed, ignoring Sho who shook his head and looked outside, knowing this would go on and on...

 

Sho shrieked when he saw a big green thing outside. It was hideous.

"What is it, Sho-chan?" Aiba asked looking curiously at the chipmunk.

"An ogre!" Sho cried, hiding behind the tall man.

"What?!"

Sho thought Aiba's voice far too delighted for the situation at hand.

"Look, Sho-chan. A real ogre. It's so fat and ugly. I want to meet it."

Sho sighed when Aiba pulled him out of his hiding place so that Sho could have a good look at the ogre. He closed his eyes in fear and wished to be able to hide.

"What do you think they eat?"

Sho rolled his eyes without answering. He should have known that Aiba wouldn't be scared at all. The man thought everyone and everything could be a friend. Sadly, most of the time he was right.

 

He watched as the ogre got even closer, saying a silent goodbye to his life and gasped when it suddenly fell.

Rescue!

"What happened?" Aiba asked himself, smiling happily at Sho.

"Could there be a prince that rescued us? Sho-chan that would be so cool!"

Sho groaned a little.

"It might be... I heard the prince hunts ogres and other monsters in his free time," Sho said, and Aiba grinned.

"Then I have to sing. He could be my duet partner. He could be my true love."

Sho nodded, sighing. He didn't know why but Aiba believed his prince had to sing with him. So he left his place on Aiba's shoulder listening to his song. He liked Aiba's voice after all, especially when he sang.

 

"Do you hear that? That voice is beautiful."

Jun stopped what he was doing to listen. Mao flinched a little when she saw Jun’s enchanted expression.

"I can't hear anything," she lied, hastily trying to climb the ogre. She slipped on its slippery back and mumbled an apology to the ogre. The ogre shrugged uninterested; it didn't even feel the girl falling onto his head and hold still. Jun helped Mao onto the back fully.

"Thank you." Jun waved her thanks off and continued to look into the forest.

"Sir, we have to bring this thing - no offence - back to the castle," she said, watching the prince.

"None was taken," the ogre replied.

"You may bring it back on your own!" Jun commanded, leaving the ogre behind to get on his horse.

"I have to find the owner of this lovely voice and my true love."

Mao sighed, sitting down on the ogre’s back when Jun left.

"And here we wanted him to fight monsters so he would forget all about love," she mumbled, groaning when she realised she would have to bring that ogre home on her own.

"Stupid prince!"

  
Meanwhile, Jun found the cottage where Aiba lived with his beloved animals. He watched the boy for a few moments before joining in with the song.

Sho groaned at hearing the new voice - it wasn't as beautiful as Aiba's - and searched for the new arrival. It only took him a few seconds to spot Jun on his horse. Sho looked at Aiba who hadn't realised it yet.

He had waited for a moment before he jumped on Aiba's shoulder.

"The prince," he said, pointing at Jun. Aiba gasped when he saw him and started smiling happily.

 

"He is here," he whispered, keeping quiet for a moment to hear Jun sing properly before he sang once more, this time in unison.

Sho gagged when both of them draw closer to each other. He hissed when their lips met.

"You are my one love!" Jun declared. Aiba was nodding vigorously already.

"And you are mine," he agreed, and Jun grinned.

 

"I will go back to the castle and prepare everything. We shall get married tomorrow. The whole land will be invited. My mum will be delighted," he laughed and Aiba shrieked happily.

"Let's do that!"

Jun smiled and kissed Aiba on the cheek.

"All of your friends are invited, of course. I will send a carriage in the morning to get all of you to the castle."

Aiba nodded, smiling before Jun bid his farewell and left to prepare everything and to tell his mother about Aiba. She would be so happy when she'd hear his announcement.

 

The queen wasn't excited at all since she liked to rule the land. If Jun married someone, he would automatically succeed to the throne, something she wanted to prevent with all her might.

"Mao! Come here," she demanded, and the girl sighed before going to her queen.

"Yes?" she asked, looking up at the queen.

"We have to prevent this marriage. This boy isn't good enough for my son, you understand?"

Mao nodded and waited.

"Right... You have to bring the boy my foolish son thinks to be in love with to me. I will curse him... He will leave this land and the danger will disappear!" she smiled an evil smile. Mao shuddered.

"Yeah... Whatever..." she answered, and the queen smiled.

"And he will continue to need you, my dear. You'll help me, won't you? It's only so that he won't make a mistake and I can rule the kingdom for a little while longer until they decide women aren’t only good for cooking and getting rescued."

Mao thought about it for a moment before she nodded, not wanting to imagine a life where she couldn't help Jun and had to live without him.

"Okay. I'll help you," Mao promised. Then she left. Jun was calling for her.

 

The next day Aiba and his animal friends got into the carriage going to the castle. The drive didn’t take long, and they arrived there around noon. He smiled at Mao when she opened the door, stepping outside with her help.

He adjusted his pink wedding suit looking at the big entrance.

"It's beautiful..." he said to Sho who was perched on his shoulder. They waited outside as the rest of the animals went inside to find their seats.

"Ah, there is the bride," an old woman said, and Aiba looked up. He smiled at the old lady nodding once.

"It's nice to meet you. Are you here to attend the wedding?" he asked.

"Yes, my dear. And I wondered if I'm allowed to show you your present beforehand. I'm old. Perhaps I will be too tired after the wedding, and it's better if you are alone when you receive it. I want to show you a glimpse of your beautiful future," she said, and Aiba beamed.

"That's no problem - I would be delighted," he said, looking to Mao for permission.

She nodded, and he handed her Sho carefully.

 

"Wait here for me, will you, Sho-chan?" he asked.

The chipmunk nodded, smiling. "I will. But you have to hurry, or the wedding will begin without you."

Aiba looked panicked for a moment, and the old lady laughed.

"What wedding would begin without the most important person?" she said, taking hold of Aiba’s wrist, pulling him with her.

Aiba was surprised by the strength in her grip as he followed her through the corridors until they reached a big fountain.

He looked into the water, smiling at himself.

 

"You have to look closely, my dear. Just lean forward... A bit more. Even more..."

Aiba did as he was told and his eyes widened when his image disappeared slowly. He was so transfixed, not realising what was happening as the woman stepped behind him and gave him a shove.

 

He cried out when he fell into the water, deeper than it would be possible in the little well but it wasn’t water anymore but something different.

When he finally landed after a long time, everything was completely different than before and totally foreign for Aiba.

Aiba looked around. Finding a ladder, he climbed after a moment of hesitation. It was dark, but he found a lid at the end of the tunnel. Pushing it aside so only his head was poking out he was surprised to see that it was dark outside.

"Oh no! The wedding! I'm late," he cried. Then he flinched when he heard a loud honk. He saw a metal carriage driving right beside his head.

"Get off from the fucking road, psycho!" an angry voice yelled, and he hurried to get out and out of the way. Looking around and not recognising anything, he began to panic.

"I have to find the castle," he mumbled before starting his search.

"Excuse me... Do you know where to locate the castle? My prince is waiting for me there," he asked the people passing him, but all ignored him.

Confused and lost he finally stopped, sighing deeply.

 

"What should I do? Where to go?" he asked himself, wandering off slowly. He was alone and didn't understand how he got here. Wherever he was.

He was certain he wasn't in fairytale land anymore. It was dark and cold here. Colder than in his homeland. He missed it a lot already. And he missed his friends. He felt lonely for the first time in his life.

He thought of Sho, who would have a solution for sure, sighing yet again. Then he looked up smiling when he saw a castle.

He didn't know why it was up on a building and with blinking lights. But perhaps Jun had put them there so Aiba would see the castle more easily.

He would do something like that, Aiba thought. Beaming happily, he climbed the ladder that was standing next to the metal construction and knocked on the door. He waited a moment before knocking again and looked up hopefully.

"Hello? Can you hear me? I'm here to marry the prince," he called and jiggled at the doorknob. He had waited a moment before he repeated the process again and again. They would hear him eventually. Aiba was sure of it.

 

Nino sighed when he had to stop in front of a traffic light, again. He was exhausted, and there was nobody in the streets at this hour anyway. So why couldn't they just turn off these things? It would make his drive home so much faster.

He glanced at his daughter, Hotaru, sitting in the backseat of the car and staring outside. A little smile was on her lips, and he had to smile, too, just seeing it.

"Your game was great," Nino mentioned, and she grinned proudly at him.

"I did my best. And I caught the ball just like you showed me, Daddy."

"Yes, you did, sweetheart," he answered grinning at her. Then he concentrated on the street once more when the traffic light went green. He shouldn't be distracted like that when he had such a precious charge in his car.

Hotaru looked outside once more watching the blinking lights while humming one of Ohno Satoshi's songs under her breath. Ohno joked each time he heard her sing that she would replace him as a singer someday. But both of them knew that the girl would never want to do something like that.

 

Nino was pulled out of his thoughts by a loud cry by his daughter.

"Daddy, stop!" she yelled, and he looked at her, shocked, stopping the car.

"What the hell?! Hotaru, you frightened me. You can't shout like that while I'm driving," he scolded rolling his eyes when she ignored him completely and got out of the car. He followed her and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her running across the street without looking.

"Where are you going?" he asked. She was pointing at a building ahead of them.

 

"I saw a man above. You have to help him," she pleaded.

"Hotaru, we don't know that man. He could be a nutter..." he began and winced when Aiba started banging on the door and shouting even louder than before.

"Scratch that. He is nuts," he mumbled, putting his daughter behind him.

"We should go back to the car." He was pushing her in the direction of the vehicle when she looked back once again.

"Daddy! Look, he is about to fall," she whined. Nino cursed when he saw the man wobbling and nodded.

"Okay, I'll help him get down. You, on the other hand, will go back to the car and we'll go home when he is back on safe ground."

Hotaru nodded and kept an eye on her as she went back. After he had made sure she was safe; he turned around to face the man.

"Hey!" he called out, approaching the other.

"You have to come down. It's dangerous up there." He winced when Aiba turned around quickly, praying that the man wouldn't fall right now. Hotaru shouldn't have to see a man falling to his death, he decided grimly.

"Can you help me? I need to get to the castle. My prince is waiting for me," Aiba said hopefully, and Nino frowned.

"Like - Disneyland?" he asked, dumbfounded, shaking his head to clear it.

"Whatever, not my business. That isn't a castle. It's a billboard."

"Can you help me to get to the castle?", the man asked again, smiling brightly, and Nino groaned.

 

No, he couldn't. But he nodded, faking a smile.

"Sure... Just get down here," he demanded again, and the man nodded. It didn't take long before he had reached the ladder. Nino cried out when it broke right under him, and the man fell with a cry.

Luckily there were dumpsters located under the construction that softened the fall, but he could hear the shout his daughter gave clearly.

Nino sighed and went looking for the strange man in the bin. Hotaru would never forgive him if he didn't make certain that the man was alright.

"Are you okay?" he asked the man, blinking when he was met with a bright smile.

"Thank you so much for helping me. You are so kind. I would be lost without you. Sho-chan often says I can't be trusted on my own. Do you know where I am, by the way?" Aiba questioned while Nino helped him up to his feet.

Nino looked at the suit and curled his lips in distaste. The suit looked worse from up close. Like something, Satoshi would be forced to wear for his concerts.

Perhaps the man was working in show business and being filmed right now. That would just be wonderful, Nino thought sarcastically. Nino put a hand to his head, which was beginning to hurt.

 

"Who are you? And who is that Sho-chan? Perhaps we can call him, and he could pick you up," he said, ignoring the questions.

"Sorry... I am Aiba Masaki. I live in a little cottage in the forest of fairytale land and Sho-chan is my best friend in the whole world ever. Oh! And he is a chipmunk. We aren't in fairytale land anymore, are we? I wonder how I got here... Perhaps the old lady did something wrong when she showed me my future, you know? There was this fountain, and she said I had to look in there to catch a glimpse of my future with the prince, but it seems that I fell into the water and now I'm here..." he trailed off thoughtfully. Nino stared at him wide eyed and opened mouthed for a moment.

Yep, definitely nuts. Also, someone who didn't stop talking, he decided. Nino started to walk back to his car when Hotaru's voice right beside him startled him. She had come back when her father needed too long.

"He seems to be amusing, daddy. Can we take him with us? You always say that it is dangerous to be out this late and he is all by himself," she tried to persuade him, and he nodded, defeated.

"Okay... But I will call a cab for him and he has to go as soon as we are home," he told her and she nodded smiling happily.

"Okay, daddy." She grinned and took Aiba's hand in her own.

"Hello, Aiba Masaki. I'm Ninomiya Hotaru and that's my daddy," she said charmingly. Nino rolled his eyes, following them with the intention of bringing them all home.

 

Nino managed to bring both of them into his flat and switched on his answering machine even before he was completely inside. Meanwhile, Hotaru and Aiba went into the living room to talk.

Nino washed his hands in the bathroom and went back into the corridor to watch both of them as they talked animatedly. It was indeed a beautiful picture, and he could see that Hotaru was captivated by the strange man.

"Daddy, Masaki is nice. He can tell so many stories."

"That's nice, my dear," Nino smiled and patted her head. "You should go and take a shower while I talk with Aiba-san for a bit, okay?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Will you make dinner?"

He nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Sure. If you are still hungry," he promised amused when she nodded in earnest.

"Make enough for three," she demanded, and he laughed and nodded.

"Got it."

 

He waited for a moment till she disappeared into the bathroom before he sighed nodding to the kitchen.

"We can talk there," he said slowly.

"Your house is breathtaking - and so big" Aiba wondered following Nino into the kitchen and Nino rolled his eyes.

"I don't own the building. I only live in this flat, and it has three rooms aside from the kitchen and the bath. It's pretty standard."

He decided to make pasta because it was the fastest thing to do and he had the necessary ingredients for it, he realised after peeking into the fridge.

"So where are you really from? And don't give me the crap about fairytale land. I don't believe you."

Aiba thought about that for a moment, then shrugged.

"It's the truth! I've never heard about a land called Tokyo... It's really loud here," he smiled and Nino rolled his eyes once more.

"The city is called Tokyo. The country is called Japan," he answered slowly while turning on the heat of the oven. He put a pot of water on it and waited for it to boil while cutting the ingredients for the sauce and putting them into another pan.

"Never heard of that either. So what's your name? It's not “Daddy”, is it?"

"What?! No, of course not. It's Ninomiya Kazunari. Who in the world would be named “Daddy”?" he asked and Aiba just shrugged again.

Nino sighed watching the food for a moment. "So what about that Sho-chan of yours? Is he your friend? Do you live with him? Where is he?" he questioned, and Aiba looked dumbfounded for a moment.

"You remember?!" he asked and Nino nodded.

"Sure... I did listen," he sighed and Aiba grinned happily.

"Wow! That's so cool... Sho is my friend, yes. He lives with many other animal friends and me in a cottage in the forest. Even though we will move to the castle soon. I will live there with Jun. Jun is the prince and my one true love," he said excitedly, and Nino decided that man talked too fast and too much for his good.

And yes... nuts.

"Okay... So who could we call to get you?"

Aiba just blinked at the question. "What do you mean? Call?" he asked, and Nino pointed at the telephone.

"Here. With it, I can call Sho or Jun or whoever... I can call you a cab if you don't want to tell me where you live. That's totally understandable," he explained, sighing, "but you should go home, soon. I'm sure everybody is worried about you."

Aiba nodded solemnly and looked down.

"I think you are right. But I don't know how to get back. Somehow I arrived in this foreign world, and I suppose you don't have any magical fountains? If so I think I could go back," he grinned, ready to go, but Nino shook his head. He should ask in the next psychiatry if they were missing somebody...

 

"Daddy, I’m finished," Hotaru told Nino as she entered the kitchen and he smiled a little.

"If you set the table we can eat, sweetheart," he said and she went to work, nodding to herself.

She sat down just as Nino brought the food for the three of them to the table.

"Here we are..."

When everyone had started eating, he remembered about the messages on his answering machine.

"Hotaru, Satoshi called to congratulate you on winning your game. He heard about it on the radio and promised to come by in the morning before school. He mentioned something about a surprise for the best player he knows," Nino grinned, amused when Hotaru beamed at him almost jumping up and down on her chair.

"Did he say what he got me?" she asked excited and he laughed.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if he did, would it?" he chastised and she pouted.

"You'll see in the morning. I think he will bring you to school, too."

Hotaru nodded happily and Nino smiled. He was relieved that Hotaru liked Satoshi just as much as he did and that Hotaru understood that they both loved each other.

Like most kids her age she didn't think of love in gender categories even if it was a little bit strange for her at first.

Aiba smiled happily, eating in silence, and Nino was glad that he wasn’t asking anything.

  
Later in the evening he brought Hotaru to bed and stroked her hair.

"Can he live here?" she asked, yawning, and he shook his head softly.

"No, sweetheart. He has a home of his own with people who love and miss him. And what would Satoshi say if we were living with another man, but not him?"

"He would like him and think that Aiba is funny. Because he is! His stories are just like the ones in the book you read to me when I was little."

"That's true... But such things don't really exist, as you know."

She nodded, looking thoughtful for a moment.

"But Daddy, he seemed lonely and confused. I don't think he lied to us. Toshi says miracles can happen all the time. So it could be true..."

Nino smiled and kissed her forehead.

"He really thinks so, huh?" he asked himself. Ohno often said their meeting was some kind of miracle for him.

"I will see what I can do. But for now, I will try to get him home. Sleep tight, sweetheart," he said and let her kiss his cheeks.

He straightened her blanket and switched off the lights before leaving the room.

Nino sighed going to the living-room again to look after Aiba, shaking his head when he found him sleeping peacefully on the sofa.

For a moment he hesitated before getting a blanket to put over the sleeping figure. He was no monster and Hotaru was right. The man kind of looked lost.

After a minute or so he left the room and went back to his daughter. Even if he was apparently going let Aiba stay, he didn't trust him so much that he wouldn’t make sure Hotaru would be okay. So he lifted the sleeping child onto his arms bringing her to his bedroom. They would share his bed tonight, he decided and kissed Hotaru's head when she blinked sleepily at him.

"Keep dreaming, little one. I will join you soon," he promised and smiled, amused when she went to sleep almost immediately again. A trait she shared with Ohno because the other man always fell asleep again right after being woken up, something he couldn't do. With that thought about his lover he got ready for bed, joining Hotaru just as he promised. But not before he locked his door.

 

Aiba woke early the next morning feeling splendid. A good long sleep could make everything so much better. He smiled when he saw that the sun was up and got up himself. He looked around, frowning a little. It was messy inside this room. It didn't seem as if the people living here had much help in cleaning the house.

"I should clean up... They let me eat with them and sleep in their house. I really should do something to help them. And I have to find something new to wear, too," he mumbled to himself and looked at the tattered sleeve of his suit. It was filthy and reeked, too.

He needed something new. It was just his luck that Nino had fabrics hanging on the wall.

"But I need help if I want to be finished before they wake up," he decided, smiling brightly. His animal friends would help for sure. So he opened the window, beginning to sing his special cleaning song.

He greeted the first pigeons when they got inside and nodded at the mice.

"Let's clean everything, my friends," he grinned, singing along while they all cleaned the living-room, kitchen and bathroom together.

The next room was a lot tidier than the rest of the flat and Aiba cooed at all the cute little things in there. He looked around a bit more before he remembered his clothes. So he began cutting and sewing the curtains together. He grinned at the flower-patterned trousers and shirt and out them on quickly when he heard the door opening.

 

Hotaru peeked out of her daddy’s room, smiling a little. Her daddy had let Aiba stay after all. She was stepping carefully into the living room to greet Aiba when she saw the animals in there.

She shrieked loudly stumbling out again, and Nino was up in an instant.

"Hotaru?!" he asked, panicking and running into the corridor where Hotaru was. She jumped into his arms, and he held her tightly against his chest.

"What happened?" he asked worriedly, and she pointed to the living-room.

"There are animals," she said, and he blinked, confused.

"Animals?" She nodded hugging his neck tightly. She hid her face in his shoulder, and he went to the room to have a look for himself.

"What the hell?!" he cursed when he saw the pigeons, mice, rats and cockroaches. A second look confirmed his foreboding that there were some in his kitchen, too.

"We have to get them out," he said and looked at Hotaru who nodded bravely. "Will you help me?"

"Yes!" she yelled, and he set the girl down. Then they raced around the different rooms, and Nino opened all of the windows. Hotaru cried loudly while she flapped her arms to hord the pigeons outside. After they had been birdfree Nino closed the windows again, and with the help of his daughter and brooms, they succeeded to chase them through his front door.

"So where is this idiot?" he asked, going to search for Aiba, whom he found in the bathroom.

 

In the bathroom, Aiba had discovered that the water was coming right out of a metal thing. He decided to wash when he realised he hadn't done that at all since arriving in this world. He was feeling really dirty.

So he played with the taps, laughing happily when he realised that there was warm water which he could use without having to make a fire before. What a beautiful, magical thing.

He showered quickly, humming under his breath. Then he got out of the shower - just as Nino entered the bathroom.

Nino stilled for a moment when he was greeted by the sight of a very naked Aiba. Then he pointed to the towels.

"Use one, will you?" he demanded a bit bashfully, waiting until Aiba did.

"Why were there animals in my damn flat?" he asked, and Aiba grinned happily.

"They were helping me clean up."

Nino paled and decided to let someone clean all of the rooms thoroughly before the day was over.

"You did what?!" he shrieked, and Aiba just nodded in confirmation.

"We even did the dishes from yesterday," he said proudly, and Nino closed his eyes so he wouldn't shout at him. This just wouldn't do.

 

When the bell rang, Hotaru grinned happily. She went to open the door, even if usually her daddy wouldn't allow such a thing. But he was in the bathroom with their guest and she was confident that Satoshi was waiting for her on the other side. And she really, really wanted his present.

She greeted Satoshi cheerfully, laughing when she was lifted up by him.

"Good morning, honey. Why aren't you ready, yet?" he asked, curious, and she smiled.

"Good morning, Toshi." She kissed his cheek, letting him close the door. "There were animals inside, and daddy and I had to hunt them down to get rid of them and we oversl..." Her face scrunched up thoughtfully to get the wording right, and he smiled amusedly.

"You overslept?" he helped, and she nodded. "Ah... I see. Shall I help you then? Otherwise, you will be late for school."

"Yes, please."

Ohno nodded, carrying the girl to her bedroom to get her uniform. There he blinked once or twice and looked at her.

"What happened to your curtains?"

"Dunno," she said, puzzled, and Ohno shrugged. Nino would explain everything to him later, he supposed.

"Daddy said you have a surprise for me. What is it, Toshi?" she asked then, and he laughed a little.

"I will show you later. Now we have to get ready first. It's in the car," he promised.

Just when they decided to enter the bathroom, Ohno heard Nino shouting and looked at Hotaru.

"Do you have any visitors?" he asked opening the door to the bathroom and winced as he heard a loud rumble and saw Nino lying on the floor with a foreign man atop of him. A very naked foreign man as he seemed to have lost his towel.

"What the hell?!"

Nino looked up, groaning a little. "Good morning, Satoshi. I promise I can explain..." He then started cursing when Aiba kneed him in the stomach as he stood up.

"Is that your prince? He is just as short as you. How cool! Why doesn't he live with you?" Aiba asked excitedly, and Nino rolled his eyes when Hotaru giggled.

Ohno gave him a confused smile, and Nino shook his head before smiling gratefully when the other helped him up.

"Hotaru, would you get ready, please? I'll talk to Satoshi," he asked sweetly, relieved when the girl went into the bathroom without protest. Then he glared at Aiba.

"And you... Go to the living room and by God! Wear some damn clothes!" he demanded darkly, waiting till he was alone with Satoshi to breathe deeply and calm down a little bit.

 

Nino went to his bedroom with Satoshi to get ready himself and looked at his confused and somewhat amused boyfriend. Nino wanted to curse him for finding this all funny.

"Okay, what did you get yourself into?" Ohno asked and sat on the bed. Nino smiled and could have kissed the older man for being just as he was. Even if he hated him at the same time just a little bit.

He knew that Ohno could be jealous - not as much as himself - but he would be calm and would ask questions before getting mad. Not that he had seen him angry that often, Nino mused and Ohno coughed.

"As much as I like seeing you half-naked, Kazu, I’d really like to know what's going on even more. Why was there a naked man in your bathroom and who is it? And what did Hotaru mean, you had to chase a bunch of animals out?"

Nino nodded putting on his shirt.

"Sorry... He’s called Aiba Masaki, I think. We found him yesterday on our way home from the match. He was on that building with the castle billboard and asked to be let inside because he had to marry some prince... Hotaru said we had to help him. As I thought him mad, I wanted to call a cab, but apparently Hotaru likes him. She thinks he’s hilarious and sad and alone... I let him sleep here and wanted to take him home today... But I don't know... I’m starting to believe he is telling the truth. Or what he believes to be the truth... And oh, about the animals. They were in the flat this morning. Aiba let them in to help him clean the rooms. Now I have to clean everything again, so nobody gets sick," he stopped for a moment and then flinched.

"I know that I promised you breakfast but could you get something for Hotaru and yourself on the way to school? Aiba said they did the dishes too and I don't think anybody should eat here till I have cleaned them again at least twice."

Ohno nodded, standing up. He kissed Nino once. "Okay. I believe you. If only because the story is too hilarious for you to have imagined it. You should talk to him, and I’ll see that I get Hotaru to school and us breakfast," he promised, and Nino nodded before finishing changing his clothes.

They left the room, and Nino went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and help Hotaru with her clothes.

"Satoshi will eat breakfast with you," he explained, and she nodded. "And you can choose a Bento for school. I will pick you up this afternoon."

"Okay, daddy. Will you spend the day with Masaki?" she asked, and he nodded.

"I'll try to bring him home, okay? So you don't have to worry. He won't be lonely if he is home with his friends," he smiled, and she nodded, beaming.

"Thank you, daddy."

Ohno looked into the room, smiling softly at the father-daughter pair.

"Are you ready, Hotaru? We have to get going if we want to have breakfast together. I know a lovely bakery where we could eat," he promised, and Hotaru cheered. She loved going out with Satoshi alone even if she wished her Daddy would join them more often.

"Have fun," Nino wished them both kissing Hotaru's forehead. He grinned amusedly when she kissed his cheek and got up to say goodbye to Ohno with a kiss, too.

"Bye, Kazu." - "Bye, Daddy", they sad in unison and he waved amused. Then he took a deep breath, heading towards the living room again.

 

Aiba, meanwhile, was sitting down on the sofa after he put on his new clothes, waiting for Nino. He didn't know what he had done wrong, but Aiba thought it would be better if he just waited until someone came to get him. He looked up when he heard Nino.

"Where is your prince?" he asked, and Nino groaned.

"Satoshi isn't my prince. He is my boyfriend," he explained, then frowned.

"This pattern..." Nino said slowly and burrowed his head in his hands. "Please tell me those aren't Hotaru's curtains. She loved them," he pleaded and Aiba just shrugged.

"I saw the fabrics and thought they are cute. Don't you like it?" he asked, and Nino groaned yet again. He’d turn prematurely old if this went on.

"Are you sad?" Aiba asked, and Nino glared at him.

"No, I'm not! I'm angry. Furious even. Everything is a mess right now because of you. Why did I have to help you?" he muttered darkly, and Aiba winced.

"What's that like? Being angry?" he asked naively, and Nino just sighed.

"Forget it," he said and rubbed his eyes before he went to his bedroom to get some new underpants for Aiba.

"Here, you can change into new ones," he began crying out when Aiba began to take off his trousers.

"Not here, for God's sake!" he exclaimed shoving him to the bathroom. He proceeded to call someone who would clean his flat while he was gone sighing when he thought about the expenses. But it was better than any other alternative…

"We are going out," he ordered looking at Aiba who emerged once again. "Come on. I have to get to work, and then you can tell me all about your friends and home."

Aiba nodded thankfully. Nino seemed to be a good guy after all.

Nino waited for Aiba before getting into his car to drive them to his workplace. Arriving at the restaurant, he got out and went inside with Aiba right behind him.

"I have an appointment for a wedding reception in half an hour," he explained and went to the kitchen brewing coffee and cooking breakfast for both of them. He pointed at the table for Aiba to sit and then began eating - finally.

 

After a short while the bell rang, and Nino sighed.

"Please stay here and don't do anything strange. If I see any animals inside I will kill you," he threatened, and Aiba nodded mutely.

Nino nodded, relieved, and went to the front to let the couple inside. He sat down with them talking about the arrangements.

"Will there be the possibility of cancelling the reception," the woman asked, and Nino frowned before he nodded, smiling.

"Sure. If you decide to cancel the wedding you can cancel this arrangement, too. You don't have to pay anything if you cancel two months before. After that, you will have to pay 20%; two weeks beforehand we'll charge 50%," he explained, and they nodded.

Nino explained about the order of the meals, smiling in the end.

"I'm happy you chose this restaurant," he said trying not to scoff when the bride began gushing about Ohno's drama and that she was his biggest fan that ever existed. So she just had to hold her marriage reception here. Just like the one they did in the drama.

It was good advertising for his restaurant but one he didn't like very much. He said goodbye to them, closing the door again when they left. He went back to the kitchen and drank his cold coffee in one go.

 

"Why did they ask about cancelling?" Aiba asked, confused, and Nino shrugged carelessly.

"Many people have second thoughts before marriage. It's a big step for most people after all."

Aiba nodded, not understanding, and sighed.

"I want to know what happened to Jun. I would have loved to marry him," he said, and Nino smiled.

"But isn't it sad? I mean... Why do they think about breaking up? Shouldn't they be happy?" Aiba asked, and Nino shrugged again.

"It isn't easy. It's a big commitment to love somebody and to marry him. Nothing you do without thinking about it," he explained, and Aiba frowned.

"But you love each other. That's enough."

Nino laughed, shaking his head. "Perhaps in fairytale land," he smiled, getting up to wash the dishes.

 

Jun became confused when he couldn't find Aiba anywhere, going outside to look for him. He went to the fountain, seeing the old lady.

"Did you see my fiance?" he asked, and she nodded slowly. She had been seen with the boy last, after all.

"Yes, my dear. I wanted to show him his future, but he fell into the fountain, and I don't know where he is now," she said, and Jun gasped.

"But it's a magical fountain. What if he fell through? Mother explained that it's dangerous. I have to rescue him!" he declared, jumping into the water.

The queen tried to close the portal, but it was too late, and she cursed when Jun disappeared. Mao appeared behind her with Sho by her side, looking at the queen when she changed back into her real form.

Sho gaped at her realising the queen was the villain behind Aiba's disappearance. He had to warn the prince and Aiba! As fast as he could, he ran into the water, taking a deep breath before plunging into it. He looked around to find Jun in the water, holding onto him as he reached him. When they were on the other side and above the water again, he took a deep breath.

"Ah... You are Masaki's chipmunk. Do you want to help him, too?" he smiled, and Sho nodded.

Jun looked around till he saw the ladder and began climbing it with Sho on his shoulder. Sho looked around, waiting till they were above. There he jumped in front of Jun, waving his arms frantically.

"Jun, Jun..." he squeaked and gasped when he realised that only noises came out of his mouth, not words. What had happened now?

Jun blinked, then grinned, amused. "Did you lose your words at my beautiful appearance?" he asked, and Sho sighed deeply.

"Do not fret. We will find Masaki and bring him back. Mother will be delighted when the wedding happens."

Sho nodded because of the first words, then shaking his head at the last ones. The queen wouldn't be too happy, but this prince was too dumb to understand him.

Jun looked around, realising there were noises around him, and nodded at a few workers.

"Did you see my groom?" he asked curiously, sighing when they only shook their heads.

"They seem to be mute, too," he mused.

"Would you please leave the street?" one of them said, and Jun smiled brightly.

"Oh... So you can speak? Where are we, sir, if I may ask?" he requested politely. His eyes widened when he saw a few cars sped by.

"Look at that, Sho! There are monsters who ate people we have to rescue them," he decided and shouted out when a bus came along.

"We have to help them!" he said, running towards it. Sho shrieked, holding onto Jun tightly as the man sped along, loudly crying for the monster to stop. Jun had a serious helper syndrome, Sho concluded, feeling defeated.

 

At the same time in the fairytale land, the queen looked into the water, trying to think of something to do about this. She would need somebody to go after them to ensure that Aiba would die and never come back. Her eyes fell on Mao, who was looking lost, and she smiled a little.

"Don't you want to make sure Jun will come back?" she asked, and Mao watched her silently. "Just imagine how it is for him. He is all alone in a foreign world and tries to find this boy Aiba to marry him. If he succeeds, you will have to leave because you did nothing to help him. Wouldn't you miss my son? Will you really let Aiba have him?" she asked, and Mao hesitated.

"But he loves him..."

"Love! My son doesn't even know what that is. He isn't in love. He is nothing but a child," she said scornfully, and Mao nodded slowly.

"Okay... I'll go try to prevent them meeting and come back with the prince," she promised.

"I'm sure Jun would be thankful if you stop him from making a big mistake."

Mao nodded convinced watching her before she went to the fountain.

"I'll open the portal again. You will come out where they are. Well, in the same world but you have to search for them. We can talk when you look in any liquid. I will tell you if I find them," she promised, and Mao nodded. Then she jumped into the water, getting out in the other world, too.

She looked around when she emerged, finding the street workers.

"Did you see a stupid prince?" she asked and they nodded, confused.

"Good... Where is he?" she asked - then looked up when she heard Jun's war cry.

"Okay..." She waved at the confused men and followed the commotion. That was easy.

 

Jun had succeeded in jumping onto the bus, ignoring the angry voices around him.

"Fear not. I will rescue you," he promised, pulling out his sword. "Let them go, you monster," he ordered and pushed his sword through the roof of the bus. He pulled it out when people cried out in fear and looked inside.

"Fear not. I, Prince Jun, will rescue you from this monster," he promised again and jumped in front of it. The driver groaned, stopping the vehicle right in front of him.

"Are you mad?!" he asked, furious, but Jun bowed.

"You don't have to thank me for rescuing you! That's my job after all."

He smiled and ran away to help other 'victims'. Sho rolled his eyes, pulling at Jun's hair till he had his attention.

"We have to find Masaki," he said and hit Jun's head when the man didn't understand what he was saying. He shrieked for a bit more till Jun seemed to figure out at last.

"We have to find Masaki," he said and Sho nodded vigorously. He was glad when Jun forgot about the cars and went looking for his friend again. He had to find Aiba and protect him. He had to.

 

Nino sighed, realising that he had to look after Aiba again. They needed to leave the kitchen and restaurant before anything could happen there. Aiba was eyeing the technical equipment with too much interest; he thought warily. Nino decided to bring Aiba to a nearby park to talk. Nothing could happen there, right?

"So what do we have to do to get you home?" he asked, considering for a moment that leaving Aiba behind was a good decision before he sighed deeply. Aiba would get himself killed or robbed before he was more than ten feet away. Furthermore, he didn't have any money and Nino didn't want to give him any of his well-earned money.

"I don't know. As I said, there was this old lady who wanted to show me my future. I fell into the water and woke up in this world. I don't know what happened exactly. Perhaps something went wrong. They must be so worried right now."

"Don't you mistrust anyone?" Nino asked. "It could be the fault of that old woman... Don't you learn anything? You can't trust everybody and in a country called fairytale land you can't trust old women. They are evil."

Aiba gaped at him. "Really? But she seemed so nice..."

"So tell me something about that prince of yours. Do you want to marry him? How long have you known him anyway?"

"I met him yesterday and we fell in love with each other immediately," he said beaming and Nino looked shocked at him.

"You mean, it feels as if you met him only yesterday... Since you love him so much," he clarified and was baffled when Aiba shook his head.

"No, we saw each other for the first time yesterday. We sang the same song and I just realised he is my one love," he grinned and Nino stopped abruptly.

"You can't mean that. You don't even know him. You can't love him so much you want to marry him. You have to get to know each other first," he scolded and Aiba tilted his head to one side.

"How do you get to know someone?" he asked curiously and Nino frowned for a moment.

"You go on dates first and talk to each other."

"Where do you go to have a date?"

"I don't know... You meet in parks, eat together, go to the cinema..." he trailed off sighing a little. He couldn't do any of those things with Ohno, himself. So he didn't really know.

"Did you go on dates with your boyfriend?" Aiba asked excited and Nino shrugged.

"Not really. He is famous and we cannot be spotted together too often. So we often meet at my flat or his. Hotaru and Satoshi go on outings together sometimes because he can say that she is a relative," he explained.

"He could do the same with me, perhaps. But he said he doesn't want to lie about that. With Hotaru, it's okay because he sees her as his daughter. So it's not directly a lie."

Aiba nodded, thinking about it.

 

Mao followed Jun’s shouts, grumbling under her breath because she couldn't find him anywhere. He was just a foolish prince for following this Aiba and not staying with her.

She detested Aiba for doing that to the prince. She was better than him, even if Jun didn't see that. She went to the park since it seemed to be logical that she would find somebody there. It was more homely than the streets, anyway. And she felt better there.

The first path she followed brought her to a lake and she remembered the queen. She’d feel bad if she didn't check on her. So she looked into the water, smiling when she saw her face before it changed into the sour face of her queen.

"I'm in a park. I think they could be here... Aiba loves greenery and it looks more like home than the city," she said and the queen nodded.

"Good thinking, girl. Here, I made these apples. Give one to Aiba and he..." she stopped for a moment, thinking, and then added, "...will forget all about Jun and his life here. He won't come back then and Jun would let him go so that he can be happy," she lied, knowing Mao wouldn't be happy if she realised the queen wanted to kill Aiba. Mao nodded as she received the apples and bowed. She would do her best.

She went to look around smiling when she saw Aiba with another man. She had been right, after all.

Now she only needed a disguise. It wouldn't do for Aiba to recognise her. Mao looked around once more, deciding to take over a stall that sold sweets. To find the pair, she stood on the crossroad where they had to come by and waited. She did not have to wait long before they arrived.

She smiled brightly at them.

"Hello, there... Would you like to have some sweets? I would recommend these apples. They are delicious and our special treat today."

Aiba looked at them and beamed. "They do look delicious, don't you think so, Nino?" he asked and the other shrugged, uninterested.

"I don't like sweets very much," he said, looking around. He was confused as to why there were so many people here today. That was not an everyday thing, and he should know as his restaurant was nearby. He spent many breaks here, liking the fresh breeze better than the smells of the kitchen.

"Would you like to have one?" Mao asked sweetly and Aiba looked a bit uncertain. "I will give it for free to you because you seem really nice," she added, relieved when Aiba nodded.

But just when she was about to give it to him, a flurry thing appeared out of nowhere hitting her hand so that the apple went flying.

"What the hell?!" Nino asked himself, automatically grabbing for Aiba's hand, pulling him back before he could be hit.

"Come on, Aiba," he said pulling him backwards.

"But the apple," Aiba said mournfully and Nino sighed.

"I'll get you something elsewhere," he promised and Aiba nodded, happy once more.

 

Sho sighed sadly when he saw Masaki leaving and began to curse Mao for trying to give Aiba the apple. He was certain that it hadn’t been anything good.

He had lost Jun on his way through the park because the man hadn't reacted in any way when he had told him he had seen Masaki over the other side. The Prince just went along looking everywhere but into Masaki’s direction Masaki, even when Sho had tugged on his hair, and hard! So he had left Jun, running to Masaki, and he’d been just fast enough to rescue his Masaki. He had succeeded in that but lost him once again.

No, Sho was not a happy chipmunk at all.

Mao grabbed Sho and held him tightly, glaring at him for a moment before she smiled suddenly.

"If you are here, Jun is here, too. Where is he?" she asked and looked around. Sho twitched, beginning to speak again. He didn't want to look for Jun. He wanted to follow Masaki to make sure he was safe.

"Ah! Keep silent, you stupid moron!" Mao hissed when he bit her leaving the stand to search for the prince whom he found in front of a big stage.

"Sir, here you are," she grinned at Jun when he turned around.

"Mao, it's good to see you. We have to find Aiba. Did you see him anywhere?" he asked. She shook her head while holding Sho's mouth shut so that he couldn't speak.

"No, sir. But you should not be here. Your mother is worried about you. Let me look for him. I will bring him back. And you can go home."

Jun seemed to think about it for a moment before shaking his head. "I will bring him back myself and rescue him once again. It's my duty as the prince."

Mao groaned and nodded. "Okay, I'll help you, sir... and will make sure you don't kill yourself while doing so.” She muttered the last words under her breath so Jun wouldn't hear her.

"Then we should go!" he shouted theatrically and wandered off.

 

Ohno was hiding in the back of the stage preparing for his concert he would hold there a few hours later and watch amused the group of strange people in front of it. He laughed silently as he thought of Nino and his reaction when he would realise there were more of them in the city. Nino didn't like things that weren't normal, and these people weren’t.

Even so, Ohno wasn't certain they weren't there for a TV show, but he hadn't seen a camera so far. And if he learnt one thing till now, it was to spot a camera quickly. Also, his manager would have called and told him not to visit Nino if he was followed by them.

"Ohno-san, you should get ready, the show will begin shortly," the man in question said to him and he nodded.

"I'll be right there," he said, smiling, and wrote Nino a little text message, 'I'm thinking of you and love you'.

 

Nino smiled as he got Ohno's message, looking at Aiba finally choosing something to eat. Nino got himself two pieces of Yakitori, looking for a bench to sit on while eating.

"So is this a date?" Aiba questioned and Nino choked on his meal abruptly.

"What?!" he asked, shocked.

Aiba looked at him innocently."You said that going to the park, eating together and talking about each other is called a date. We do all that," he explained, and Nino sighed.

"Nope... This is not a date. Don't even think that," he demanded and glared at him. “I don’t want to date you or something like that. And you have at least the wish to date the other to call something like this a date. This is just an outing," he explained and Aiba nodded once again.

"So you do love your boyfriend but you don't go on dates with him?" he asked and Nino nodded slowly. He didn't know where this conversation was going now. That made him nervous.

"But how did you get to know him then?"

Nino groaned a little and sighed. "There are things like home dates, too. Like I said, we meet at my or his flat and spend time together. We have known each other for a long time now," he explained carefully and Aiba looked curiously at him.

"How long?"

"We’ve known know each other for five years now..."

"Wow! And you didn't marry him yet? Do you tell him you love him?" he asked and Nino shrugged.

"Sometimes..."

"And how does he know that you love him?"

"He just knows. We don't need words," he insisted and felt a little bad because of the look Aiba gave him.

Aiba opened his mouth and began, to Nino's horror, to sing, "How does he know that you love him?"

"Oh, please, don't sing here," he pleaded, rolling his eyes when Aiba didn't stop. He tried to walk away and paled a little when Aiba followed him, still singing.

"Not you, too," he sighed when some street musicians got into the song, too, playing music fitting with Aiba's little melody.

"Come on, sing with us," Aiba beamed and Nino shook his head.

"No, thank you. I don't sing." That was something only Satoshi did, he thought, groaning when Aiba pulled him with him. He didn't understand why but it seemed that everybody knew the lines to Aiba's song and sang with him. They even did a little dance accompanying it. It seemed he was the only one that didn't now this damn song.

Satoshi would be delighted... His only luck was that Satoshi was somewhere in some studio filming and not in this damn park where everyone was going nuts.

"I really don't sing," he repeated stubbornly when Aiba looked at him pleadingly, sighing deeply when he was pulled along once more and had to dance with this strange man. It was just like in a damn movie. Like Disney or Bollywood.

 

Ohno was curious when he heard the commotion outside. He risked a peek, careful not to be seen. Ohno blinked, a little confused at first when he saw people dancing and singing outside. Watching them, he noticed they seemed really happy and the melody made him want to sing along.

But he didn't and just listened to the text, grinning when he recognised the strange man from this morning in the middle of the crowd.

When he saw Nino tugged along by him with an angry face, he laughed out loud, watching his boyfriend exasperatedly trying to dislodge Aiba's very firm grip, probably to escape all of this.

He hid behind the stage curtain a little more when people got nearer, staying there when he could hear Aiba and Nino getting closer, too.

"Please, I don't sing," Nino said again, and Aiba pouted.

"Spoil sport! Oh, look, they’re selling tickets for a high ball! You have to go there with your boyfriend," he shrieked and Ohno smiled sadly when he heard Nino sigh yet again.

"I can't. He would be recognised and there would be a big scandal."

"But how should he know that you love him if you don't show or say it? Does he say it to you?"

Nino nodded and smiled a little.

"He does, regularly, and he says he thinks about me when he sings love songs," he admitted bashfully and Ohno felt his face heat up. He thought Nino found such things to corny because he never reacted to his words.

"But you..."

"Yeah! I get it... I'm mean and horrible because I don't say it as often, so it's my fault if he doesn't know. Can we move on, please? I won't sing with you and it seems as if the people are going to leave soon."

Ohno thought Nino was right. The singing had quietened down. The song seemed to have reached its end. At the same time, Nino wasn't right about one thing. Of course, Ohno knew the other loved him deeply.

Aiba sighed, nodding shortly after. "I still think you should do something."

"Whatever, let's just go. We want to find your prince," Nino scolded and Ohno laughed because Aiba looked a little bit like a small puppy right now.

He watched them go, leaving his hideout to finish his recordings for his next video. He would call Nino later, he decided.

 

Nino was glad that the singing had stopped at last and tugged Aiba with him.

"Tell me about that Sho-chan... You say it is a chipmunk? Really? And it can speak?" he asked and Aiba nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, he is called Sho-chan and I found him in the forest one day. He can talk but most of the animals in the woods can do that, not all of course and none as good as Sho-chan. I like him very much because he is there every time I need him," he explained and Nino thought that sounded much like Aiba had a crush on a chipmunk...

Okay... He wouldn't even really be surprised in the end, he thought tiredly. He looked at his watch sighing. He would have to go back to the restaurant soon to give his co-workers a briefing about this week’s plan. Also, he had to pick Hotaru up from school and it didn’t seem like he would get rid of Aiba anytime soon.

Okay... First the restaurant, then Hotaru and then this idiot beside him. And perhaps he could find a thing to show Satoshi how much he feels for him just in case this idiot beside him was right. Because he didn't want to lose Satoshi, not at all.

 

Jun thought he heard Aiba's voice and wanted to run there as fast as he could. But sadly a group of arguing bikers had decided to stand in his way and before he had had the chance to follow the sweet voice of his beloved he found himself on his back grunting in pain when one of the arguing men was shoved and fell onto him.

"How dare you?" he yelled angrily, standing up with great difficulties. When he tried to listen for the voice again, it had vanished into thin air...

"Where are you, Aiba?" he sighed sadly, jumping a little when he noticed Mao staring at him.

"Ah, Mao, did you find him? And did you hear him sing?" he asked excitedly and she shook her head.

"No, sir," she began, her eyes widening when she saw Aiba at the end of the road. "... I think we should search elsewhere," she said, hurriedly tugging him with her.

They left the park. Jun was silent the whole way until they arrived at a hostel.

"It's getting late, sir. I think we should stop here for the evening to think of a strategy," she smiled hopefully.

"It's not even dark yet, Mao. In fact, I believe that it's hardly midday," he scolded and she sighed.

"Perhaps you are right. But the time here is different from our time. And I think we need a place to stay and talk about our next steps, sir. A place nobody could listen in on us," she added and Jun nodded slowly.

"Okay if you think it would be better. You never lied to me..." Jun smiled and Mao winced. She didn't want to lose his trust but she had to do this if she didn't want to lose Jun.

"I'm glad", she said hoarsely.

“A room for two, please,” she asked the woman at the reception. She smiled when she got the keys and led Jun to their room. There she sat on a stool when Jun laid on the bed.

"Did you see Sho? I lost him in the park..."

Mao nodded, grabbing for the chipmunk still inside her bag.

"I found him and thought it would be bad if we lose him. He is very important for Aiba, isn't he?", she asked and Jun nodded.

"He said he is his most important friend."

Mao nodded looking at the unconscious chipmunk.

"Just as you are to me," Jun added and Mao's smile turned bitter. She should not have done what she did. She wanted to tell Jun but then he would hate her and she would lose him.

"We'll find him, sir," she promised looking at him and realised that Jun fell asleep.

"I'll leave him in your care then," she whispered and put Sho beside the sleeping man before walking out once more. She had to find Aiba and she had to think about what to do when she did...

 

Sho found himself squished in Jun's hand when he woke up and groaned in pain. His head was killing him...

With a start, he opened his eyes wide as he remembered what happened and tried to wriggle out of Jun's grip. How was he able to sleep while the queen and her servant were trying to kill Masaki? He couldn't just sit here and wait.

With a shout of joy, he landed on the floor, looking around for a way to leave this room. He grinned happily when he found an open window and went closer.

Sho gulped nervously when he realised he was high up, closing his eyes for a minute. No, this wasn't the time to be scared. He had to rescue Masaki and therefore he had to get down there. And he was a chipmunk, for God's sake. They knew how to climb, and so did he!

He took a last glance back at Jun before bravely leaving the room and climbing downwards.

"I hate heights!" he whimpered, clinging to the railing, searching for a safe way down. It was more complicated than he thought and he wished that he had climbed trees more often in his days back in the forest.

"Don't fear, Masaki. I'll find you soon!" he promised, more to himself, running through the streets once he was back down to earth.

 

The trip to the restaurant was short and Nino was glad that his co-workers were that good and that they had worked together for years now. He had only to speak to them for a few minutes before they were ready to do the preparations without his supervision.

It wasn't his free day but they understood if he couldn't be there all of the time because of his daughter. As long as he was easy to reach on his mobile, everything was going to be okay.

"I'll be back in the evening to eat with Hotaru and Aiba in the restaurant. She said she wanted to meet you all again," he warned them with an amused smile, grinning when they nodded with fake scared faces. He knew that they loved her just as much as he did.

"Nino? What about the wedding reception?" Nishikido asked and he nodded.

"The notes are in the back... But I'm not so sure about it. It didn't seem as if they would marry. But I could be wrong, of course... Let's just hope I'm wrong. They were cute together, if a little creepy because they only wanted to hold the reception here because of Satoshi's drama..." he said lost in thought.

"Hey, do you think we could close the shop for an evening?" he asked suddenly and Nishikido looked a bit shocked.

"It would be hard. We have bookings for the next month... But tomorrow is a closed evening anyway," Nishikido said slowly and Nino grinned.

"So... Would you come in if I asked you?" he questioned, looking around.

"What for?"

Nino smiled a little bashfully in answer, looking at the others who were curious as well. "Actually... I think I want to take Satoshi somewhere. But I can't, as you all know. But this is a restaurant and the place where we met for the first time nonetheless. So I thought we could open privately and meet here to eat and get together. You, we, perhaps some friends that know us. So we could be together openly for once, kind of..." he trailed off and Nishikido, laughed amused.

"Didn't know you were a romantic... But I think we could do it once," he promised and Nino smiled thankfully when the rest of them nodded the affirmative.

"Thanks, guys. That means a lot for me. Then we have to hurry till then, so it is perfect," he grinned and most of them rolled their eyes. They would do it for their boss and friend but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy the evening themselves.

"We plan everything. You get your daughter and don't interfere. We'll think about something we could do without too much trouble for ourselves throughout the evening. Does that sound okay to you? Something like a buffet", Nishikido asked and Nino nodded. If he wanted a full restaurant where the others would eat too then, they couldn't work the whole evening.

"But I promise that you'll get paid," he winked, waving as he left. It was good to have co-workers who liked you and it was even better that he was their boss.

 

Mao went to the restaurant after she talked to the queen. The queen told her she would find them there and Mao trusted her enough to at least try. And just as she was told there standing in front of the restaurant speaking.

She listened to the discussion, concluding they would eat there later. So she had to get in somehow. She observed Aiba, deciding he looked happy here. Mao thought that Aiba wouldn't be sad if he were to live here. He wouldn't even miss Jun.

Mao thought of Jun, sighing a little. It was going to be okay. She would be there for him and then he would perhaps forgive her when she told him the whole truth. She sincerely hoped so, at least.

She hid behind the corner when they left, waiting a few minutes before walking into the restaurant. She smiled charmingly at the man before her, bowing a little.

"I'm looking for Nishikido-san. Ninomiya-san told me I could work here, beginning today," she explained praying that he would believe her. She didn't want to rely on the Queen for her help.

"He did?" Nishikido asked a bit confused. He didn't know that they were hiring anybody right now. But Nino did sometimes do such things on a whim. So it could totally be true...

"But he would have told me," he added out loud and Mao shrugged a little.

"Perhaps he forgot. Please, I need the job and I was so happy when he said it was okay."

Nishikido sighed, giving in in the end.

"Nino did seem a bit distracted today." He thought for a moment before nodding again. Why should she lie? If she did Nino would say so this evening and she would have to go, anyway. No harm was done.

"Okay... Got it. Maru will show you around and give you your outfit," he concluded, waving said man over. He explained everything to him and Mao followed the new man to begin her short training session.

 

Sho wandered, lost, through this big and foreign city, hoping to catch a glimpse of Aiba at least. He didn't even remember when the last time had been that he had felt so alone.

Okay, so he could remember. It was right before Aiba found him but that was not the point here. That time Aiba found him. Now he had to find the other and he would not give up. He couldn't let anyone hurt him.

In the end, he only succeeded in finding Mao again. He didn't know if he should count that as a success but somehow he did. If Mao were here that only could mean that, Aiba would be here soon, too.

So he stayed put, waiting out of eyesight of anyone. He could do this.

 

"Behave," Nino demanded when he and Aiba stood in front of the elementary school building, waiting for class to finish.

"If you scare any of the children I swear I’ll kill you," he threatened, clicking his tongue when Aiba nodded smiling brightly. He didn't think that Aiba had understood him at all.

He got out his phone, searching for Satoshi's mailing address to tell him about his plans for the coming evening. He just hoped that the older had a free night otherwise everything would be in vain.

"What are you doing?" Aiba asked and Nino looked up. He blushed when he realised he was being watched and shrugged boldly.

"Writing Satoshi to ask if he wants to go on a date with me tomorrow evening," he explained and Aiba beamed.

"That's wonderful but you should write the invitation on paper and send a letter to him," he scolded and Nino rolled his eyes.

"That's copious and a letter wouldn't arrive before the day after tomorrow which would be too late. Per mail will be okay."

"No!" Aiba cried out loud and Nino winced.

"Not so loud, idiot."

"But you have to write!", Aiba insisted and Nino groaned when Aiba began to sing again. He didn't know why Aiba couldn't speak normally but it was getting on his nerves.

"You can write. The doves will bring it to him," he promised and Nino decided that he won't ask. No, really, he wouldn't.

Sighing deeply he began to write on a piece of paper he found in one of his pockets.

 

Dear Satoshi,

I thought of something to do that we would both enjoy. To show you my love let me invite you to dine together tomorrow evening at the restaurant. I will wait for you.

Love,

Kazunari

 

"So what now?" he asked and gave Aiba the letter. Aiba handed it to the doves.

"Bring it to Satoshi," he said to them and Nino sighed deeply. He didn't know how the doves would bring it to Satoshi. But they would talk later anyway, preferably without Aiba beside him.

"Daddy!" Hotaru cried happily when she saw them and he kneeled down to catch her when she ran to them.

"Hello, sweetheart. How was your day?" Nino asked and she waited till she greeted Aiba before beginning to tell him in great detail about her morning with Satoshi and her school day.

He brought them home so Hotaru could change and do her homework while he worked a little. Aiba sat on the sofa to read and for the first time since they met there was more or less silence around Nino. It was nice.

 

Ohno was surprised that two doves awaited him when he got backstage. He read the letter curiously. He laughed a little at the chosen words, searching for his phone to call Nino.

"Hey, Kazu," he greeted, smiling when he got a little, almost inaudible "Hey" as an answer. Kazu seemed to be calmer now. That was good.

"I got your letter and the beautiful doves. But I let them go before they decided to stay here. You know I know you love me, right?" he asked and Nino hummed a little.

"But I would be happy to go on a date with you."

"That's great," Nino said brightly and Ohno laughed because he could picture Nino's happy face right now. The other was too cute for his own good when he was like that.

"Uhm... It's in my restaurant because I can close it, so all people in there know about us. We can act like a couple if we do that," he said slowly and Ohno hummed thoughtfully.

"If you want you can invite some other people to join us. I would like to have the place full so it seems like an ordinary evening."

Ohno chuckled, nodding to himself. "Kazu is really cute... I would love to go on a date with you, and I'm free tomorrow. We'll meet there? Or will you pick me up at home?", he asked and Nino promised to get him.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow. Greet Hotaru from me, Kazu."

"I will see you soon, Satoshi."

 

Nino was happy when he ended the call, standing up to go to his daughter to help her with the rest of the homework. He also told her about his date for tomorrow.

"But I want to go with you and Toshi," she pouted cutely and he smiled.

"But it wouldn't be a date with you, sweetheart. Shouldn't we ask Aiba if he wants to look after you? You like him and I promise we won't be long. We'll be back before you have to go to bed. Me and Satoshi both, to wish you beautiful dreams," he promised and she nodded slowly.

"Okay, but only because Daddy will be happy if he can be alone with Toshi."

Nino smiled hugging her tightly and kissing her cheeks. "Thank you." He then carried her to the living room and sat her down beside Aiba.

"Hotaru and I thought that you could perhaps stay with her when I meet Satoshi, tomorrow..." he said slowly and was relieved when Aiba nodded, smiling brightly.

"Of course. We will have so much fun, ne Hotaru?" he grinned, and she nodded happily.

Nino wasn't sure if it was okay to leave his daughter alone with him. He was foreign, after all. But Hotaru liked Aiba, and they wouldn't get into trouble if they both stayed at home.

Nino looked at his watch and sighed. "We should get going if we want to eat at the restaurant or it will be too late."

Hotaru nodded, going to her room to get something which Nino was sure was for Maru and would end in laughter and Chaos. After that, she waited for her Daddy and Aiba at the front door.

Nino drove them to the restaurant, glad when they were able to sit down again. Somehow he was drained. He ordered something for the three of them, a little amused when Hotaru scolded him because he had to order something special to see if they don't slack off. She told Kiko earnestly that she only wanted two tomato slices and five slices of cucumber in her salad, no more or less.

Kiko nodded, noting her instructions down carefully before she fetched them something to drink.

"Daddy, can I say hello to Ryo?" Hotaru asked, and he nodded.

"But be careful not to hurt yourself or bother the others, sweetheart," he said, and she nodded before she was off again. Nino looked at Kiko telling her worthlessly to rescue the others in ten minutes. That was enough time to make sure the little girl wouldn't notice her daddy ordered them to look after her.

 

"Can I ask you something?" Aiba asked, and Nino was surprised because of the soft voice of the other. That was something new. He nodded slowly and Aiba hesitated for a moment more before he began to speak again, "You never talked about Hotaru's mother... Why? Where is she?" he asked, and Nino frowned a little.

He was happy Hotaru wasn't there. She didn't remember her mum but thinking about it made her unhappy.

"She is dead," he told him slowly, smiling sadly. "We had been together since in our teens. I think you could say she was my first love and perhaps she would have been the only one if she hadn't died," he explained, and Aiba nodded surprised.

"I'm sorry..."

"You don't have to be... It was long ago, and I have Hotaru as a reminder of her. She is so much like her mother. I'm only sad that she doesn't remember her. Aiko died eight months after giving birth to her in a car crash. It was hard, but I have Satoshi now, and he is like a second father to Hotaru. He loves her as much as I do."

They fell into silence for a moment which Kiko broke by bringing them their drinks.

"How did you and... Satoshi meet?"

"That's easy... I owned this restaurant since before Hotaru was born. It wasn't famous then because there are bigger ones nearby and we aren't in any tourism spot. When Hotaru was one-year-old... Uhm... Five years ago," he added since Aiba didn't know how old Hotaru was now, "it was hard to maintain the business and I thought of selling it. Then a production team showed up and asked if they could film a drama here. I needed the money if I wanted to keep the restaurant, so I said yes. Satoshi was in it, as the lead character, and had to learn how to cook. I didn't have the money to pay chefs at that time, so I was the one who showed him how to. during that time we fell in love, and he liked Hotaru, which was a big plus.

First I thought it was too early and too complicated to fall in love with someone else, but Satoshi didn't give up, and half a year after filming was finished we ended up becoming a couple, and I was right. It is complicated, but we make it work somehow. And I'm lucky Hotaru is as great as she is. It would be a lot harder otherwise," he grinned, and Aiba smiled.

"She is indeed a wonderful child."

 

Nino grinned proudly and wanted to answer when he heard Hotaru crying out loud, laughing. Story-time was over then, he thought, amused as he watched Kiko carrying his little girl over her shoulder.

"I believe that this little devil belongs to you, boss," she smiled, and Nino nodded.

"That might be true," he grinned, tickling his giggling daughter.

"What did you do, huh?" he asked and pulled her on his lap.

"I made a picture for them," she giggled and Kiko mock-pouted.

"Which didn't look like me at all."

"It did. It was perfect," Hotaru cried laughing. "And I told Kiko that she is too loud. When she wanted to catch me, I hid behind Ryo, and she was too slow to get me. It was so much fun!" she ended happily, and Nino smiled at that.

"I see..."

"Come on, little princess. Your dinner is ready," Kiko interrupted, smiling, and made space so that Nishikido and someone Nino didn't know at all brought their food.

"Who are you?" Hotaru asked curiously, and Mao glanced at the girl for a moment.

"I don't know why you would ask as you can see that I work here," she answered a bit curtly, and Hotaru flinched visibly. Nino frowned a little, waiting till they were alone once more.

"I don't like her at all, Daddy," she said, and he nodded.

"Me, too, and I don't know who she is..." he sighed standing up.

"Start eating, please," he said as he went to the kitchen to look for Ryo.

"Who is that girl?" Nino asked, and Ryo shrugged.

"She said you hired her, Nino. I thought you forgot to tell me earlier."

"No, I did not," he answered and Ryo nodded.

"Then I would say we have to tell her she’s got to go. She isn't friendly to the guests and the children are scared."

Nino nodded massaging his forehead. "I will do that. Or you, after her shift this evening," he ordered.

"We don't want to make a spectacle if she acts out when we tell her. Just... Let her only serve the dishes. Maru and Kiko will have to talk to the guests."

Nishikido nodded, and Nino winced when they heard loud noises from the main room.

"What the hell?!"

 

Sho shrieked happily when he saw Masaki. He looked excellent, and Sho was happy that the other seemed fine. The man and the girl appeared to be nice to him, and that was really good to know. He watched the three of them talking and forgot for a moment about the danger of Mao and the queen.

By the time the meal had arrived he remembered and sprang bravely from his hiding spot. He ignored the short cry of surprise from the little girl and looked at Masaki.

"Sho-chan," Aiba screamed in delight clapping his hands once. "You are here. Is Jun here as well?" he asked, and Sho nodded grudgingly. Here he was to rescue Masaki and all he asked about was the damn prince!

"Masaki... The queen wants to kill you, and the servant of the prince is going to do the deed," he explained, groaning when Masaki's face remained blank.

"What? You can't speak anymore?" Aiba asked, shocked, taking the little ball of fur into his hands. "Poor Sho-chan," he cooed.

Sho sighed, looking around while he enjoyed Masaki’s warm hands around him. He saw Hotaru and waved at her. She gave a tiny wave back, and he smiled before he looked for Mao.

He shrieked when he saw her and waved both of his arms agitated.

"What is it?" Aiba asked and smiled at Mao while hiding Sho. Sho gave an indulgent noise as he was hidden under the table.

"I'm sorry for earlier," Mao said smiling apologetically and put something on the table, judging by the noise.

"I want to apologise and got you some cake. I hope you like apple crumble," she smiled, and Sho's eyes widened when Masaki thanked her. How could she? She did not only put Masaki in danger but the little girl as well!

He apologised to Masaki as he bit his finger hard jumping out of his hideout.

"You mustn't eat that. It's poisoned," Sho warned jumping up and down on the table. He waved and shrieked. He even jumped onto the cake hissing when he burned his feet in the end. He would do anything so they wouldn't eat it.

Hotaru had dropped her fork, looking wide eyed at the chipmunk while the other guests in the restaurant were shrieking loudly.

Mao glared at the animal trying to catch it. "I'm so sorry. It will be gone in an instant. Don't worry!" she promised, smiling when she caught him. Sho cried out loudly, trying to get back to Masaki when he heard new voices.

 

"What the fuck?!" Nino cursed loudly when he saw the people running around, going pale when his eyes fell on the ratlike animal.

"Get this thing out, right now!!" he bellowed and was glad when Maru and Kiko brought Mao and the animal outside. He sighed deeply bowing in front of his guests.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I want to ask you to leave. You don't have to pay of course, and I would be happy to see you again. You'll get a coupon if you wish on your way outside, just ask one of the waiters," he said through clenched teeth, sighing when some left cursing. He rubbed his eyes looking at the others.

"Tidy up now. I'm certain the reporters will be here in a few moments," he mumbled, looking at his daughter.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, daddy... Masaki said that the chipmunk is called Sho-chan," she smiled, and Nino looked at Aiba.

"Did he?" Aiba nodded slowly.

"That was Sho-chan. I'm sorry. He is usually totally tame and has excellent table manners. I think the many people made him nervous. But he said Jun is here. He will find me, and I'll go home soon," he chirped, and Nino nodded.

"Okay... Whatever. Let's get to work," he murmured helping his staff taking the plates from his table first. Everything had descended into chaos with Aiba’s arrival. He would be glad when the other was gone.

Just as he thought, someone had called the news agencies and told them what had happened; he realised when the first vans arrived.

He groaned a little, making Ryo smile at him.

"It's okay. We got it. Go home... Hotaru is barely awake by now", he said, and Nino nodded thankfully.

"I owe you," he whispered and Ryo winked at him. Ryo was his perfect right hand; he realised again.

 

Jun woke up alone and was confused for a moment till he decided that Mao was out to get them something to eat. He looked around until he found a controller and pushed some buttons. He was surprised when the mirror in front of his bed sprang to life and pushed some more buttons until he saw Aiba on the screen.

"Back, back," he shouted and got up to look directly into the screen.

"Oh, it's like the magical mirror of my mother," he said happily, listening to Aiba.

"Was it scary when the rat came directly at you?" the man asked, and Aiba shook his head.

"Not at all," he grinned happily, and Jun smiled. Oh, he had missed that gorgeous smile of the other. It was perfect. He grumbled when a man and a child were seen, glaring when the man tugged at Aiba's arm.

"Let's go. Don't talk to them," the stranger ordered his beloved.

"Fear not, Masaki. I will rescue you from this villain," he swore theatrically, looking at the screen again.

"Tell me where is my true love? Where can I find him?" he ordered and was delighted when the reporter said an address. Now he only had to find it!

He went outside looking for the restaurant and the address that was mentioned. It didn't take him long to locate the restaurant and when he asked where Aiba and that man who got him were, he got new instructions to follow. It was so easy.

 

Nino was glad when he got Hotaru and Aiba to his flat, rubbing is eyes and groaning. He had too much excitement in his life since Aiba had appeared.

"Will you tell me a story, daddy?" Hotaru asked, and he nodded.

"If that's what you want, he smiled and kissed her forehead.

Aiba watched them curiously.

"I know many stories. Would you like to hear something about Sho-chan? You met him today," he asked happily, and Hotaru nodded excitedly.

"May I, daddy?" she asked, and Nino laughed.

"Sure, sweetheart. Come on let's get you ready for bed and Aiba will tell you a story," he permitted, and Hotaru looked happily at him.

 

"Are you sure that the chipmunk was your Sho-chan?" she enquired later in her bed, and Aiba nodded.

"Yes, I wonder where he is now."

"Do you think he is dead?" Aiba looked surprised, shaking his head with a smile.

"No. He is fine. He is smart and has survived many adventures. Do you want to hear one of them?" he asked, and she nodded. Nino smiled, amused, while he watched the two of them, listening for a moment to the story of how Sho-chan had rescued the little red riding hood.

He grinned and left to give them time alone. Hotaru would miss Aiba when the man went back to his home, wherever that was. But perhaps they could visit each other from time to time.

 

Jun arrived at the building where this enemy was hiding Masaki. He looked around carefully, seeing a man in front of the building. It seemed as if it was guarded, so he had to think about a way to get inside.

He looked around seeing a woman with a dog being in front of the building for a tad to long. When the security man approached her to talk to her, he went inside without being seen.

Now he only had to find out behind which door Aiba was to be found. He began with pounding on each door shouting the name of his beloved. He didn't find him anywhere, though, sighing when he went to the next floor. He knocked again and was surprised when a man clad in leather opened the door.

"Uhm... have you seen my beloved?" he asked, dumbfounded because this was the first person not shouting at him because he was too rude or something like that.

The man looked him up and down grinning before licking his lips. "You are very welcome to find him here..." he purred, and a shudder ran along Jun's spine as he slowly stepped back.

"I'm sorry! I think I'm at the wrong place," he yelled when the man came even closer. He ran through the hallways and stopped in a corner at one end. There he sat down deciding to wait for the next morning till he continued his search.

 

In the next morning, Nino woke Hotaru and went to the living room to wake Aiba, too. He was surprised when he saw the other was awake, sighing when he realised that Aiba must have destroyed yet another curtain since he had new clothes.

"Please tell me that you didn't let in animals again," he begged, and Aiba nodded.

"I didn't."

Nino heaved a sigh in relief and patted Hotaru’s head before telling her to get ready for school.

"Listen, Aiba. You’ve been waiting for two days now. I don't think this Jun will appear. If you want... I could help you to start anew. Find a flat and a job," he said slowly, and Aiba smiled before shaking his head.

"Jun is looking for me right now. Sho-chan said so yesterday."

Nino sighed and shook his head. "Animals can't speak," he said and Aiba glared a little.

"At least not here. You are right. They can in my world. At least Sho-chan can. And he is here. And Jun is here, too. He said so. And Sho-chan doesn't lie to me," he said louder, and Nino winced.

Aiba stood there for a moment before a smile broke out on his face. "Wow... I felt anger, Nino... real anger," he grinned, and Nino rolled his eyes.

"Well that didn't last long..." he joked weakly, and Aiba frowned for a bit.

"Whatever... He will find me because he is my one true love," he sang the last words and Nino hid his face behind his hands.

"Please, don't sing," he pleaded and winced when someone pounded on his door.

"If you break it, you have to pay for it!" he shouted as he hurried to the door to open it. As soon as it was open someone came inside and Nino hissed when a sword was pushed in front of his face.

"Where did you hide him?" Jun asked, and Nino blinked.

"Who?" he asked stupidly and looked up when Aiba came into the entryway.

"Jun!" Aiba cried out, delighted, but frowned when he realised what the man was doing to Nino. "What are you doing?"

"I have to punish him. He abducted you," he said, and Aiba shook his head before going to stand between them.

Nino sighed in relief, bending down to lift Hotaru into his arms. She had run out of the bathroom when she heard the commotion and was now shaking in fear for her daddy.

"Everything okay?" he asked her with a soft voice, and she nodded mutely. He pulled her against himself, rocking her a bit to calm her down while looking at the two men in front of him.

"Okay... If you say so," Jun said, and Nino tried not to scoff. This prince or whatever he was was clearly too simpleminded. Nino could have been forcing Aiba to say something like that. But okay... He wouldn't complain if that meant they were safe.

Jun smiled happily, beginning to sing something about true love, too.

Nino groaned. So this Jun sang, too... Why wasn't he surprised? His whole life had turned into a tv drama or something like that!

 

Jun stopped in the middle of the song and looked at Aiba in confusion, who just smiled. He began again, just to stop in the middle of the song yet again.

"What?" Aiba asked, blinking.

"You didn't sing," Jun answered, perplexed and Aiba's eyes widened.

"You are right... I'm sorry, Jun," he mumbled, and the other shrugged.

"It's okay. You'll sing when we are back and married." Jun smiled and Aiba hesitated. He looked at Nino who seemed at least a little bit worried and back at Jun again.

"First I would like to go on a date," he declared, and Nino smiled, nodding at him.

"A date? What's that?" Jun asked, and Aiba hesitated again.

"We'll spend time together... We go to the park or a restaurant. We'll eat something and talk about each other to get to know each other better," Aiba explained, and Jun nodded.

"Okay, let's do that. It sounds nice," Jun added, taking his hand. Aiba smiled brightly, waving at Nino when he left. Aiba had told him that Jun would come for him. And he had been right.

 

Nino watched them leave, looking back at his daughter before he sighed.

"We have to hurry yet again," he whined, and Hotaru giggled. He sat her down to get ready, he going to the kitchen to prepare something small and fast to eat. He was going to have to give Hotaru some money to buy her lunch in school. Nino flinched when he thought of the reprimands he would get from her teacher again the next time he met her for not ensuring Hotaru had a Bento with her each day.

He wrote Ohno a message to wish him a good morning, double-checked Hotaru's school uniform and bag before giving her the sandwich and money.

"You can eat it in the car..." he said and she nodded while they ran downstairs to get to the school in time. There, he kissed her good-bye watching as she got into the school-yard safely.

 

Jun had followed Aiba outside going with him to the park as it was the only place Aiba knew. He didn't know what Aiba wanted to do so he just followed mutely at first.

"So... how about we tell each other about ourselves, first?" Aiba said slowly, and Jun nodded.

"As you know I'm the prince and..." Aiba nodded as he listened to Jun talking realising after a few minutes that Jun didn't tell him anything he found interesting at all. He was simply not interested in Jun's history or how many monsters he had defeated, and Mao's name fell more often than not. Masaki realised the both of them had to know each other for a very long time now. And somehow he didn't think that he would ever win against Mao. After Jun had told him yet another story about how he had defeated a dragon a long time ago with his lovely servant, he interrupted him.

"How about we get something to eat?" he asked, and Jun nodded happily. They were walking around the city now since they left the park a while ago. Aiba quickly looked around, going to get them something. Nino had given him some money just before they left the flat.

"How about we look around? The city seems to be interesting. It's different from home," Aiba said, and Jun nodded, confused. He thought they would return once he told Aiba everything about him and they had something to eat. Aiba was relieved Jun did as he was told and asked himself where Sho might be. He missed his chipmunk even more now.

Jun strolled besides him while Aiba told him something about himself. But Aiba could tell that the other wasn't listening. He sighed a little and Jun looked up.

"Shall we go back? We should marry each other soon," he said, and Aiba thought carefully for a second. They had been on a date just like he requested. But he didn't want to go back. Not yet.

"Let's have dinner first. After that we'll go... I promise," he said when Jun's face fell and the prince nodded in the end. Aiba smiled, thinking for a moment.

"Then you have to pick me up this evening at Nino's house," he requested and Jun nodded.

"Okay..."

"I'm glad, Jun. I'll see you later," he said, waving before he hurried back. He had to wear something nice when they met for dinner. And it was already quite late in the day.

 

Hotaru was alone in her room, wearing a fairy outfit Ohno had gifted her with. She hummed a little song she had heard her daddy sing one evening for Satoshi. She played with her wand while she waited for Masaki to play with her as he had promised the evening before.

"Masaki," she smiled happily when he arrived and hugged him. He smiled hugging her back.

"You look troubled," she pouted and Masaki sighed.

"I am, Hotaru," he confessed. "I went on a date with Jun and now we want to go to a dinner. We thought of attending Nino's," he answered and she nodded smiling.

"Then you have to go," she grinned and he shrugged.

"I want to. But look at me. I have nothing to wear. And I don't know if there is a fairy godmother in this world," he explained, and Hotaru nodded before wriggling in his arms until he had to let her down.

She opened a drawer and got a credit card out of it. Aiba looked a little confused when she waved it in front of his face.

"Toshi gave it to me, and daddy said it's for emergencies. Toshi said I could use it to buy anything I want," she grinned, amused when she thought of the day she got it and how her daddy had hit his friend on the head to shut him up. It had been really funny.

"We can buy something for you with it. I think this is an emergency," she explained and Aiba laughed a little.

"Thank you. Then you are my fairy godmother today, huh? You have the perfect outfit for it, but I think you should wear something warmer. It's cold outside."

Hotaru changed her clothes as requested and then left with Aiba. She tugged at his hand while hopping along the street and talked all the way to the first shop.

Aiba smiled a little at the stories of the girl, looking around curiously when they entered the shop. Hotaru pulled him to a lady in the front of the room.

"Hello. We need an outfit for Masaki. He has a date with his prince this evening," she explained to her, and the woman nodded. Then she wandered off, asking them to follow her.

Hotaru sat down on a chair, watching as Aiba tried many outfits until she was satisfied with one. They paid for it with Satoshi's card. After that Hotaru went with him to some other shops, buying other things Hotaru thought Aiba needed, and to do his hair. Hotaru had fun at this shopping tour and grinned happily at the end.

"Now you are ready. You are really beautiful," she chirped, and Aiba pulled her to his chest.

"Thank you, Hotaru," he smiled kissing her cheeks.

"You are wonderful," he added leaving with her to go home.

 

Nino waited nervously for them at home sighing in relief when they entered his flat at last. He had been worried about Hotaru since he hadn't known where they were.

"Hey, sweetheart. Where were you?" Nino asked, careful to not show her how worried he had been. She smiled while she lifted her arms to be held by her daddy. He kissed her cheeks, looking at her in question.

"I was shopping with Masaki. He needed an outfit for this evening. We had so much fun, Daddy!" Nino looked at Aiba, tilting his head.

"What for?" he asked and Aiba looked at him bashfully.

"I thought of visiting your dinner with Jun," he said and Nino nodded beaten.

"Okay..." he sighed looking at his daughter. He couldn't force him to take care of her but now he had to find a babysitter. Quickly. To leave her alone for half an hour to go buying groceries was totally different to leave her alone for a whole evening.

"And how was your date?" he asked him and Aiba shrugged.

"It was okay. We talked a lot. And we saw a lot of things. But I think Sho-chan would have liked it more... I miss him," he confessed, and Nino nodded understandingly.

"Then why this dinner?" he asked and Aiba shrugged yet again.

"I thought it would be nice. And he said we should go back and I didn't want to go back, not immediately at least," he said, and Nino thought about something to answer that.

"You will leave us?" Hotaru asked sadly, and Nino looked at his daughter. He sighed pulling her onto his lap.

"Yeah, he will. He has to go home, sweetheart. We talked about it, you remember?" he said closing his eyes when she began to cry. He hated seeing her so sad that she cried.

"I don't wanna... He has to stay here," she whined. "When Masaki goes to fairytale land he will never come back, just like mommy."

Nino sighed closing his eyes while he hugged her more tightly. "Sweetheart, don't cry," he pleaded and Aiba bit his lip.

"I'm sorry..." he said. Nino shook his head kissing Hotaru's hair.

"It's not your fault..." he answered looking at his watch. He had to get ready, but he didn't want to leave his crying daughter alone.

"Aiba, please, get ready and give us a bit time," he asked him cradling his daughter lovingly. After a while, she calmed down, and Nino smiled at her.

"Is it okay, if I leave you with Sago-san? Or should I stay with you? It is entirely okay if you want that", he asked with a guilty conscience but knowing she wouldn't be any happier if he cancelled with Satoshi because of her and she shook her head slowly.

"No, Daddy should meet with Toshi," she said and he kissed her forehead.

"Thank you, my love," he said stroking her hair. He wished he could take her with him but knowing Sago-san would be the best option to take care of her.

"Will you ask Masaki to stay?" she asked hopefully and he nodded.

"I will, sweetheart," he promised and held out his pinkie for her to grab it shaking them together. He would do everything to make her happy and asking Aiba to stay wasn't the worst thing ever.

He left to ask his neighbour to look after her and made something to eat and a big cup of hot cocoa before getting ready himself. He said goodbye to Hotaru, being proud of her when she smiled and hugged Aiba, too.

 

When they were outside, he sighed when he saw Jun and drove them to the restaurant where Ohno was waiting for him. He nodded to Nishikido who brought them to their tables grinning happily at Ohno. After all, he was here to enjoy himself.

Ohno smiled at his boyfriend and squeezed his hand softly.

"I'm glad you could make it," Nino said, and he laughed a little.

"I’ll make it for you every time," he laughed and winked at him. Nino smiled, talking with him about his day and Hotaru while enjoying his evening with Satoshi.

He was happy they could be here together today because they had spent so little time together over the last weeks because Ohno didn't have much free time because of work.

 

Mao was nervous as hell. The last time she had seen Jun or Aiba they were together and seemed to be euphoric. She didn't want to disturb them and tried not to look in any water so she wouldn't see the queen. She sighed and looked at Sho who was still by her side, even if he was disgruntled by it.

But he had decided that it was better to stay close to the enemy so he could stop her if she decided to hurt Masaki again.

"Hey..." Mao began, and Sho looked up before following her gaze to the restaurant where Jun and Aiba were sitting and sighed sadly. He wanted to be beside Masaki and not here.

He squeaked as Mao shook him and glared.

"I was talking to you. It's impolite to ignore someone," she pouted, and he sighed before he nodded.

"Do you think they look happy?" she asked and after a little consideration, he shook his head. Not really at least.

"I don't understand why he wants to marry him."

Sho shrugged, and Mao sighed. She wanted to be with Jun. She had missed him so much these last few days. It was terrible.

"But I have to help them if he wants to marry him," she decided, and Sho nodded forcefully.

"But..." She fell silent and went white because she could see the queen quite clearly in front of the restaurant.

"Why is she here?" she asked, and Sho squeaked worriedly. He ran up and down gesturing in front of Mao. Hopefully, she was smart enough to understand him. He gestured to impersonate the queen and the apples and then Masaki. He mimicked Masaki eating the apple and dying because of the poison. Then he pointed to the queen and Masaki after that to show her that the queen wanted to kill his friend. Mao's eyes widened when she understood.

"She wants him dead? I thought she only wanted him to forget everything. I'm dumb... I'm sorry, Sho. We have to help them. It's too dangerous like that."

He nodded, smiling because she understood. Now they could rescue the others.

 

Nino looked up in confusion when the door opened again, relieved when Ryo appeared at the door stopping the woman from entering. Ohno was a little nervous but how should anyone know he was here?

"I'm sorry, madam. But this is a private party," Ryo said, trying to get her out again. But he was stopped by a hard push and gasped a little when she headed for the table of Jun and Aiba.

Jun stood when he saw his stepmother, smiling.

"Mother, what are you doing here?" he asked, confused but happy, and she looked at Aiba.

"I thought you might want to have an apple, my dear," she said sweetly, and Aiba blinked.

"You came all the way for this?" he asked, and she nodded. Nino rolled his eyes when he realised Aiba was as naive as ever but it wasn't his problem.

His problem was the girl that came through the door now. He smiled bitterly at Ohno, who seemed a little curious.

At least he wasn't furious. That had to be a positive sign.

"No, you can't eat it!" Mao cried, and Nino groaned when there was a flying chipmunk yet again. At least their friends weren't going to call the reporters.

Sho tried to reach Masaki as fast as he could. But he was too late - Aiba bit into the fruit.

Aiba's eyes widened for a moment before he choked and fell back, his eyes closing. There were gasps around him and Nino sprang to his feet, looking up when Ohno stood beside, him holding him back.

"What the hell?!" Nino hissed, and the woman looked mock sorry.

"Oops..." she said turning around to walk away. "Anyway let's go home, Jun. You can't help him," she said, and Mao sighed.

"That's not true. You can, Jun. And don't trust this woman. She is evil. She wanted to kill Aiba and all of your future brides because she intends to be the queen forever. She sent me here to kill him," she said pointing at Aiba and Jun frowned.

"But..."

"And you didn't succeed, you stupid girl," the Queen said sweetly while leaving the restaurant. Jun looked at Aiba helplessly and looked from one to the other.

"What should I do?”, he asked slowly, and Ohno hummed thoughtfully.

"I think the true love's kiss wakes people in fairy tales," he explained, and Nino rolled his eyes.

"But this is not a fairytale. This is the reality," he snapped, and Ohno laughed.

"Yep, but this is all very fairytale-like, and he did say he is from fairytale land," he smiled, and Nino nodded slowly. Ohno was right somehow.

Jun nodded earnestly and swept down to kiss the unconscious Aiba. It seemed as if everyone held their breath, but nothing happened at all.

"What? Why?" he cried and kissed Aiba again and again till Mao gripped him hard. Enough was enough!

It was Ohno who found his voice again first, sounding too amused for his good, Nino decided.

"It doesn't seem you are his true love, and nor is he yours," he almost sang and kneed down himself while tugging Nino with him.

"We should kiss him, too, Kazu. Perhaps he has fallen in love with me when he saw me that first day", he grinned, and Nino scoffed. He wanted to say something when Ohno bent forward pecking the lips of Aiba.

"Hey!" he cried as Ohno sighed sadly.

"I guess not. Kazu, your turn."

"You’re having too much fun," Nino pouted, and Ohno kissed him once.

"Just do it. For me?" Nino sighed and nodded reluctantly before he pecked Aiba's lips quickly, relieved when Aiba didn't wake up even if he did feel a little bad about it.

"We can't let everyone kiss him. That's just wrong," Nino said before Ohno could propose something like that and Ohno nodded.

"That's true. Perhaps it's too late..."

Jun sighed looking at Mao. "Why did you help her?"

Mao squirmed. "I'm sorry. I just... I didn't want to lose you," she explained, blushing when the people inside the restaurant cooed a little.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said quickly, and Jun gasped.

"You won't lose me, Mao. You are the most important person to me," he said, and Nino looked at them at those words.

"So why would you want to marry him?" he pointed at Aiba.

"Because he sang a duet with me," Jun whined.

"But you know her longer than anyone and - what's more important - you love her and not Aiba. So marry her!" Nino hissed, bugged out, and Jun looked at him and then at Mao.

"But..." he began and blinked, "would you marry me?" he asked, and she grinned.

"Yeah, happily," she beamed, and Ohno started clapping in delight.

"Then kill your mother-in-law before she gets you," Nino said deadpanned and Mao saluted.

"Yes, sir," she cried, and she and Jun left shortly after.

 

Sho ignored everyone around him, watching Aiba, heartbroken. He shook his hand and pleaded with him to wake up. He cried and decided to give it a try himself. He loved his Masaki. He jumped on Aiba's chest and pecked the cold but red lips of his longest and dearest friend.

Ohno gasped when Aiba opened his lips to take a deep breath and Nino turned questioningly to his boyfriend.

"He loves the chipmunk!" he explained, amused, and Nino blinked when he realised that Aiba has indeed awoken. Okay, this was madness after all. Aiba opened his eyes and cried happily when he saw Sho.

"You are alive!" he said and kissed its furry head. Nino winced a little at the display and gasped then when Sho seemed to sparkle and transformed into a real man. A very naked man! Sho blinked a few times as did Aiba.

"You rescued me!" he cried out happily hugging Aiba.

"Ah! Sho-chan, you are a man," Aiba smiled, and Nino tossed a jacket at them.

"Wear it. And then please explain..." he said confused, and Sho nodded.

They had long forgotten that there were other people in there.

 

But those made themselves known when they clapped, and Nino looked around. One couple especially seemed to be clearly amused - one-half at least - as the other seemed to be bugged out just like himself. At least one other sane man in here.

The man in a wheelchair with a bald head said something over a chess set to the other who was wearing a cape-like jacket in magenta, even inside. Nino asked himself whose friends they were, as he had never seen them before.

Nino sighed and stood up to usher Ohno, Aiba and Sho into the kitchen so that they were alone again - away from the watching eyes in the main room.

Sho put on the jacket slowly before beginning to explain that he was a prince in a foreign country in the fairytale world but an evil witch enchanted him. He had had to live as a chipmunk till his true love would free him.

"I wasn't secure in my land anymore, so I escaped. I got lost in the woods when Masaki found me. I didn't know that he would be the one who could break that dreadful curse", he grinned, hugging Masaki once more. "Thank you. I love you so much."

Ohno clapped again and Nino sighed, thinking about the cheesiness of it all.

 

"Ne, will we live here together now, Sho-chan?" Aiba asked him later, and Sho nodded slowly.

"Yes, if you want... And if the prince won't marry you?" he asked, and Nino laughed.

"Your prince is gone," he explained. "Together with the girl. I think they went back and they wanted to hunt monsters and the queen," he explained, and Ohno nodded in agreement.

"I believe that you two can stay here. We'll help you," Ohno promised, and Nino groaned when Aiba and Sho were hugging him.

"No hugging if you aren't clothed," he cried and pushed Sho away harder than strictly necessary. Ohno laughed loudly and whispered into Nino's ear.

"You like it when I hug you naked," he grinned and Nino hit him, hard.

"Don't talk, you moron," he hissed blushing, and Ohno just laughed louder.

"We should go. Hotaru is waiting. Is it okay if we crash at yours today?" Ohno asked, and Nino nodded sighing.

"Yeah... Let's go," he mumbled, looking at the others that came into the kitchen to look what happened to their boss.

"I'm sorry," he said bowing and his friends smiled.

"It's okay. It was a fun evening after all," Ryo promised and watched them leaving and beginning to sort out this new kind of life.

 

It needed a few days until everything was settled for them. Ohno succeeded in finding Sho a position at his company and Nino had promised Aiba a job in his restaurant. A decision he regretted almost every day since but his coworkers liked him and Hotaru was happy that Aiba was in their proximity. So it was okay after all.

Jun and Mao arrived in fairytale land, and it didn't take long for Mao to defeat her mother-in-law. She was happy to be Jun's bride and the new queen beside him.

 


End file.
